I am adding a 5 track freight yard to my ho scale layout. What is the min. Spacing for straight track in this yard.
thanx ccg
2 inches on the straight tracks, although that makes it hard to get your fingers between them to handle the rolling stock.
Rich
Alton Junction
I spaced mine 2.25" center to center to allow finger room.
Rich has the basic number for HO, His caveat about finger room is important, but the need for it depends on how the yard will be used. If just for in and out staging, usually no need for extra room. However, if you build trains in staging, then you need lots of finger room for getting stuff on and off the tracks.
Keep in mind that yard track spacing is somewhat dependent on the geometry of the turnouts in the yard ladder. Best to do your design and lay it out full size to make sure it fits right if you go for tight spacing, as you'll have little room for slop when it's tight spacing. It's always a good idea to test the track with trains on adjoining tracks to check your work before the final spike down begins.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I have been working with this dilemma the last few days, mocking it up with tracks and turnouts and trying to get a good feel of what is good. Basically the conclusion I reached was this. It looks better with 2 inch spacing and I get a bit more track in. But the cars are very close together when it comes to switching the cars. It's impossible to read roadnumbers and so on. So my conclusion is and what I will do is this. In the working yard I will have have about 2,5 inches apart and in the staging yard, to be built later I will use the 2 inch spacing. Distance of the floor will also be a factor in this.
Magnus
The real railroads used to space them as close as they could. There are photos of small yards with spacing as close as 12' center to center. Most model railroads use 2" (roughly 16 scale feet) centers. Centers this close are no problem in visable operating yards, but are an issue in staging where it would be necessary to rail rolling stock.
S&S
Modeling the Pennsy and loving it!
My yard tracks on my few loop layouts was 2" centers..I found no need to stick my digits in a area where they're not wanted nor welcome in between the cars.
I used magnets to uncouple,took the few minutes needed to ensure my track work was bullet proof,checked wheel gauge and coupler and trip pin height for smooth and derailment free operation..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Like Larry, I use 2-inch centers. I originally derived this from John Armstrongs book, "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" - the guru of track planning recommended 2-inch minimum centers in yards. I built a staging yard to fit 11 parallel tracks in a two foot wide area underneath the main RR yard which is being built above it.
Cheers, Jim
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Hi cog
I work on the theory if there is going to be an OOPS! it will most likely be in the yard
Regardless of whether or not its on or off stage you need to be able to get fingers in between stock to put it back on the track after that heavier than planned switching move or just to put stock on the layout if its an off stage yard.
Even in coach yards its a good idea to have a bit extra room just in case a shirt cuff catches a dome car.
So make sure no matter what measurement you go for you can get fingers in to put stuff back on the track.
regards John
Remember, also, that double crossovers, etc. often require 2" track spacing if you decide to go with "complex" trackage in your yard.
When we started my yard, due to snipping of turnouts here and there, the geometry somehow got a bit off (some a bit less than 2" some more) and my tracks vary a bit but we can rerail or move rolling stock by handling the roof edges fine.
I was too much of a rookie and required the help of a knowledgable friend to get my yard started back in '08 and even then we had a surprise here and there with spacing and we weren't sure why.
Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
The 2" standard reflects typical prototype practice. However, if you model a specific prototype, it's worth checking into that a little further. Some RRs had peculiar standards. The Rio Grande narrowgauge tended to have wider spacing for several reasons, among them an anticpated but never accomplished standrard gauging of the NG main from Antonito through Chama to Silverton.
Then there is the most modern practice, where there's a tendency by some roads to go to wider spacing in the interest of safety.
I use 2" spacing just about everywhere unless something wider is necessitated by structures or whatever.
Here's one end of my main yard which is 10 tracks wide on 2" centers. For me leaving extra "finger space" isn't worth the aesthetic compromises. If you tune your track and equipment sufficiently, derailments should be rare and you won't have to reach in to rerail cars often enough to worry about having the extra space.
Rob Spangler
Curves may require slightly larger than 2" spacing depending on era modeled and type of equipment. See NMRA S-8 (Track Centers).
I want to build my yard with 2" spacing as well. Is there a certain switch size that works best for that dimension? Thank you!
For switch size, do you mean turnouts? If so, I use #4 Atlas on the yard and #6 transitioning from sidings to main or at exchanges. The former gives you a tighter configuration for yards. Some poeple have really involved track set ups on yards. Nice stuff!
Ditto here for 2" from center of tracks in yard. Mine are arrow straight. You doing a curved yard or straight one?
I use 2-inch spacing too. Actually I think I measured 2 1/16th between centers just for a tad bit more margin. As for switch size, I suggest #6 as a good compromize between using space efficiently but broad enough to handle most equipment. I've gone with #6 as my minimum since I have 6-axles diesels as well as 89' long freight cars.
As for laying and getting everything to fit, I've found I usually have to splice a bit of rail in to get the #6 switches to all fit in place, occasionally trim the rail back on a turnout too - well, thats just part of track laying. If you use sectional track, you are limited to the dimensions and geometry so that could affect track spacing, but if you go with flex track, you need to get used to cutting and fitting - but that allows you get get the spacing you want vs. what is forced onto you. Cutting or splicing is just part of the deal if you want more control on how you lay track. (technically using #6 switches is sectional or modular, but I haven't decided to roll my own turnouts yet.)
Because I am on a budget I'm mostly using Atlas code 83 turnouts (below) and where necessary, I've got a few specialty turnouts such as a 3-way, a double slip and some #8's and a few curved #8's (Walthers code 83). If money were no object, I'd probably go with the American style Peco code 83, but they are nearly twice the price of the Atlas.
I use a Dremel with cut-off disc's and Xuron, and patience. Here are some photo's of the yard I'm working on - presently delayed by basement repairs - fun fun.
If I remember right you can get by with 1 3/4" but most use 2" to 2 1/2".
Models, like the 1:1s, fit what they can where they have space. lots of space is better, but you may be limited in your table depth. And even if you are not you may be limited by the ladder length.
No. 4 switches will naturally place your rails further apart, No. 6 switches will put them closer together, but with a ladder that is too long for the layout.
LION used No 6 turnouts, and him cut them short both at the points and the frogs.
You do what you have to do,and you do not have to settle for what some manufacturer has made.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have the yard tracks pretty close. An OOPS! is such a rare occurrence that (if required) moving the train next door out of the way to fix the problem is not a big deal. That being said, prototype yards often have access roads running down the lengths of the yards every few tracks or so. I like the look this gives and a road next to the track also offers digit access to that track.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Hi Batman
Thats a good point the real RR have shunters pathways ect down the yard so that offers the way to wider track spacing.
The real Ashland, WI yard had tracks spacing out to 1 3/4" in HO scale, so that's what I used. I also built it against the wall and pinned the yardmaster in the corner by the angled switch lead so he couldn't reach into the yard but had to do everything on the lead and ladder just like the prototype.Guess what, it worked great.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
My standard track spacing is 50mm - close enough to 2 inches for most purposes. My 1:80 scale Japanese prototype rolling stock is slightly narrower than US prototype HO.
The yards with parallel straight tracks have been built with #5 frogs. The two on sweeping curves... Since I hand-lay all my specialwork I don't worry too much about standard dimensions. If the route can be laid down with bent flex track, I can run a train over it. (Minimum radius limitations and avoiding S curves and kinks are things I handle automatically. 65 years' experience, you know.)
One of my staging yards has tracks on 45mm centers - which balloon out on the curves to the ladder (which is at a 95 degree angle to the body tracks.) No clearance problems with the cars usually staged there, but I keep some long stock out.
All of my addition and subtraction of cars from the layout is done by connecting cassettes to the straight end of that yard lead. Fiddling is done on cars in the cassettes, not on the layout. A consist that gets sent to staging is unchanged (except for the waybills in the car cards) when it returns to the visible world.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi,
Lots of good info here! In the end, you need to do what pleases you best. I would set up 4 or 5 track sections and experiment with different spacing, and of course keep in mind you want to see what cars are where, and be able to handle them if necessary. One other factor is the turnouts that feed these sidings may dictate a preferred spacing in themselves.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I have a 6 track yard with spacings of 1 5/8" between track centers.
Note that you do NOT need to be able to see the cars on the tracks. Real railroads cannot.... they make sure that the paperwork is correct, and if they get confused about the contents of a track, they will pull the cars on that track out to run them past the switchman rather than making him hike the length of the yard. Don't try to "save moves," save your ground crew's walking time.
I just looked up some readily available minimum track spacings: BNSF is 14' (1.93" in HO), UP is 15' (2.06" in HO). That is NOT for tracks in or adjacent to main lines--yard trackage only. And it is current standard--not olden days.
Ed
[edited by admin to remove off-topicness]
mobilman44 Hi, Lots of good info here! In the end, you need to do what pleases you best. I would set up 4 or 5 track sections and experiment with different spacing, and of course keep in mind you want to see what cars are where, and be able to handle them if necessary. One other factor is the turnouts that feed these sidings may dictate a preferred spacing in themselves.
It is often said on the forum that there is a prototype example for most everything.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
By any metric, this thread has gone far off the rails.
Please keep it on topic. Thanks.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven Otte By any metric, this thread has gone far off the rails. Please keep it on topic. Thanks.
How so?
Unless some replies have been removed, every post I see does directly reference yard track spacing - either prototype standards or examples or what people have found works well for them on their layout.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
One other thing to consider: Altlas and Peco Turnouts produce a two inch spacing, with no trimming or short spacers on the ladder required.
Definitely simplifies track laying.
Dave